Best Trout Rivers In Ontario
Best Trout Rivers in Ontario
Best Trout Rivers – Ontario is blessed with hundreds of rivers and streams that have wild self sustaining populations of trout.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) even recognizes about 159 brown trout streams, most of which are in Southern Ontario and which often have native brook trout. There’s probably hundreds or even thousands more little creeks and streams spread out all over Ontario that just have brook trout in them. Northern Ontario is littered with little back creeks with brook trout in them.
There’s even a few streams in Southern Ontario with wild or stocked rainbow trout too. Many of these same trout rivers enter into the great lakes and many have migratory rainbow trout, migratory brown trout and salmon in the lower sections.

These trout rivers are spread out all over Ontario from the far southern Lake Erie rivers to the far northern rivers. This webpage only covers southern Ontario rivers and streams.
Some of our southern trout rivers are large enough to get a canoe or small boat through and others are so small you could jump across. This give anglers the opportunity to fish all kinds of different water from fast rapid sections to slow swampy flat water and everything in between.
What often makes a river one of the best is not just the fact that there are lots of fish in it, but it needs to be accessible to.
That is why only the larger more popular and more accessible rivers and creeks are listed on this website. I could tell that some river i know is full of bug trout but whats the point if you can’t fish it because it’s all private property.
The list below is some of the bigger more popular rivers in Southern Ontario. Some of the best fishing for trout on the bigger rivers occur up in the highest portions of the headwaters or in the smaller tributaries of these rivers. T
here are some smaller tributaries that the steelhead can get up but the lower portions of the rivers are often best.
NOTICE; many of the rivers listed on this website have extensive private property sections and landowners have notified me that they will charge people for trespassing. If there are signs posted DO NOT TRESSPASS. There is also no such thing as a high water mark in Ontario. Therefore if your feet are on dry land along the edge of a river you can be charged with trespassing and it doesn’t matter how high the river gets.
I’m often told by many land owners that the primary issues they have with anglers is littering, poaching and disrespectful anglers. If there wasn’t so mane anglers littering and more anglers picking up garbage from the jerks that litter we would have more places to fish.


THE TROUT RIVERS – Click to view more.
- The Beatty Saugeen River
- The Beaver River
- The Bighead River
- The Boyne River
- The Credit River
- The Grand River
- The Humber River
- The Mad River
- The Noisy River
- The Nottawasaga River
- The Pine River
- The Saugeen River
- The Sydenham River
Lake Ontario Rivers :
Oshawa Creek
Duffins Creek
Bowmanville Creek
Wilmot Creek
Ganaraska River
Cobourg Creek
Cold Creek
Rouge River
Bronte Creek
16 Mile Creek
Georgian Bay Rivers :
Cold Water River
Nottawasaga
Beaver River
Bighead River
Sydenham River
Lake Huron Rivers :
Sauble River
Saugeen River
Maitland River
Nine Mile River
Bayfield River
Lake Erie Rivers :
Big Creek
Grand River
If you want updated information on river fishing methods you should check out my new website which also covers more on products and how to use them as well as even more fishing tips. Check out my pages on:
- My Best Baits For Steelhead
- My Best Flies For Steelhead
- My Best Lures For Steelhead
- Steelhead Leaders – How To For More Steelhead
- The Best Floats For Float Fishing
- The Best Centerpin Reels
- The Best Line For Float Fishing
Plus you get a whole lot more.
Approved Retailers
Check out these approved retailers for all your river fishing needs.
These approved retailers meet our high standards for great customer service, great selection and competitive prices.
Don’t forget to check out our Best Products page to help you figure our what you might be missing.
Bass Pro Shops is the leader in everything fishing gear related. There have a huge selection of river fishing gear and great prices.
FishUSA is one of the best places that I know of to get river fishing gear that is relevant to the great lakes area, and they often carry a larger selection of river fishing gear then any other online shop. If you haven’t seen what they have to offer you should check them out.
If you are local to Ontario then this is a great place to order your Centerpin and River fishing gear!
